Ministry Non-Negotiables:

1. Give your mornings to God. If you don't start with God your day will go off the rails. This is when you get your priorities in order.

2. Study! Readers are leaders. If you're not reading you're not growing. Hone your skills, improve your craft, magnify your office.

3. Stay pure. Keep your mind out of the gutter, and your zipper fastened.

4. Love people! They may use you, slander you, misunderstand you, abuse you, neglect you, forsake you. Still, feed the sheep. Bring them along in the faith and ministry.

5. Be honest and have integrity. Don't allow the ministry to be blamed due to poor ethics, bad disposition and questionable stewardship.

6. Be a leader and an example. You cannot take people where you have not been. Lead by example, lead as a servant.

7. Work harder than most everyone you know. Lazy leaders get no respect.

8. Use your time wisely. Recreation, entertainment and diversion are not wrong, they must just have their place. Overuse of the smartphone will make you stupid.

9. Stay true to the Word. Sound doctrine is essential.
Orthodoxy is imperative.

10. Persevere. Learn to work through difficulty. Possess tremendous amounts of patience toward people and situations. Depend upon God to bring you through. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

Most of all, PRAY as if everything depends on it. It does!!!

Things I hope to never get over:

• The Wonder of Creation
• The Truth of His Word
• The Fear of the Lord
• The Cross of Christ
• The Empty Tomb
• The Grace of God
• The Mercy of God
• The Hope of His 2nd Coming

Now that Easter is Over

Is “Easter” really ever over? By Easter, we mean the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, not bunnies and eggs. I assert that Easter is not a day, but a life.

 It was a glorious day at GSBC, as well as at Bible-believing churches around the globe. Here, we had two profess Christ as Savior, a wonderful attendance, rejoicing Christians and the palpable atmospheric presence of the Lord.

 Going forward, what are some of the take-aways and the next steps?

 

1.      Realize that every Lord’s day is a celebration of Jesus’ victory over death. That glorious sense of joy and conquest we all felt last week should become our new normal each and every Sunday and throughout the week.  

2.      Because He has risen, we need to live a life of victory, entering in to our Savior’s sufferings and experiencing resurrection power in every aspect of our lives.

3.      Share the life-changing good news of the gospel with others in our sphere. This good news is not meant to be hidden under a basket, but shouted from the mountain tops.

4.      Seek heavenly things, rather than earthly. Love what God loves. Invest fully into His kingdom. Colossians 3:1-2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

The holiday "Easter" may be over, but let us never get over the Resurrection!

Jesus Shows His Love for Children

 Matthew 18:1-10

This certainly addresses child abuse  (abusers and human trafficker's beware!!) 

Offense: Offending (causing to stumble)

Punishment: Hell! It would be better for them that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 

The Prescription one: If you find yourself tempted to do such things, it's better to cut off your hand or pluck out your eyeball! 

The Prescription two: Don't despise children (disregard) 

An Insight to the Lord's Work

 Proverbs 2:6-8

Pro 2:6  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 

Pro 2:7  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 

Pro 2:8  He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 

The Lord:

Giveth - wisdom  (Prov 2:6)

Speaketh - knowledge, understanding (6)

Layeth up - sound wisdom, protection (7)

Keepeth - paths of judgment (8)

Preserveth - the way of His saints (8)

Redemption Draweth Nigh

 

The American west is on fire, the streets are filled with violence, bloodshed and murder, almost every face is masked due to a pandemic, the nation is irrevocably divided, rainbow flags fly in front of churches, a peace treaty between Israel and neighbors is about to be signed in the White House, record cold temperatures immediately follow record heat, 1000 innocent babies are offered daily to the idols of unnatural affection, God has been marginalized from public life, the Jews are returning to the land of promise, a star millions of times brighter than the sun has vanished from the heavens, the moon is red, the spirit of Antichrist is prevalent, the love of many has waxed cold, brothers have turned against brothers, the love of pleasure is rampant,  disobedience to parents is the norm, congregations are decimated, apostasy goes unchecked, the world's populace dance at the end of the strings of global elitists, the Feast of Trumpets starts in 8 days. Only the Father knows the day and the hour, but the coming of the Lord is nearer today than it was yesterday.

When the Winds are Contrary

Mark 6:45-52 

*Know that Jesus is praying for you - 46

*Know that He sees you toiling - 48

*Watch for Him to come walking to you above the problems - 48

*Be of good cheer, don't be afraid - 50

*Make sure Jesus is in your boat - 51

*Never lose your amazement and wonderment - 51

*Recall that He has always done what was needed, in time, on time, and in a greater fashion than you could imagine – 52